We have been in pakistan for 2 weeks and during this time we have only travelled 50km or so. The reason; Hunza valley is simply stunning, the people unbelievably friendly – we couldn’t tear ourselves away any sooner.
On arrival in Gulmit, we were placed under the wing of 2 new friends, Zahir and Mahboob Ali. With them, we took in the local town, trekked over glaciers and up to glacial lakes. Making up for a 2 month milk tea deficit, we drank lots of chai and dived into our first daal. Each time we ventured out, invariably we were invited into a strangers home for chai and chapatti or our pockets were stuffed with home-grown apples, apricots or walnuts.
Whilst everyone we met urged us to come back in spring to see the blossom (and attend the odd wedding we were invited to), the autumn colours were stunning enough for us.
In upper Hunza, most people are ismali, a sect of shia islam, led by current spiritual leader, Aga Khan. Every 10 years Aga Khan sets a community plan, presently prioritising health and education improvement. We were impressed to find local college graduates working in the internet cafe as e-marketeers (with a very slow satellite connection mind) and so many schools and colleges for a community of 2000 people. I was personally relieved to find the attitude towards women quite relaxed; ismali women are uncovered, present on the streets and chatty.
4 years ago, Upper Hunza valley was devastated by a landslide which blocked the Hunza river and slowly flooded the valley, claiming vast areas of fertile land, homes and businesses. Today, the town of Gulmit stands 250 metres above where the central bazaar was. The valley floor is caked with millions of tonnes of sediment/sand. Lake Attabad is slowly receding, but 4 years on, access to Upper Hunza exists only via perilous boat. A chinese-built tunnel will open next year, connecting china to Pakistan by road once again. In Gulmit, hopes are high that trade and tourists will return.
After 5 days, we bid goodbye to Gulmit (4 nights sleeping in hat/coat/scarf combo was all we could take) and headed down the valley to Karimabad, crossing Attabad lake on a calm, sunny day. Our boat was relatively unoccupied, save the odd motorbike and tree. As we passed other boats carrying small trucks parked crossways, stacked so high and heavy the water lapped the rim, we were glad to walk the plank onto dry land and squish into a Suzuki heading for Karimabad.
Scamps on a train 